Sen. David Farnsworth fears living a sci-fi TV series

I don’t watch a lot of television, mostly because of crappy television programming like NBC’s post-apocalyptic science fiction television drama Revolution, the premise of which is that all electricity on Earth has been disabled and people are forced to adapt to a world without electricity.

Oh noes! Mankind survived for thousands of years without electricity. Hardly scary stuff. You can survive.

Sen. David Farnsworth (R-Mesa), he of “constitutional” chickens fame, fears one day he will be living the premise of this sci-fi TV series. When one can no longer distinguish between reality and a fictional TV series, I do believe it’s time to seek professional help.

State lawmakers are moving to make sure you know what to have on hand when electronic Armageddon strikes.

Legislation approved Wednesday by the Senate Public Safety Committee would require the state Division of Emergency Management to develop recommendations for what Arizonans should buy now and store in the garage, basement or storage room just in case an enemy detonates a nuclear or other bomb that wipes out power and communications in the state — and possibly nationwide.

The recommendation also would spell out exactly how much food, water and medical supplies should be available to last for weeks or months. And the state agency would have to update that list every five years.

SB 1476 (.pdf) is being pushed by Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, amid concerns about an electromagnetic pulse that can be caused by certain types of explosion.

According to a briefing prepared for legislators, a nuclear blast on or near the ground can damage electrical systems and communications for 70 miles or more from the site. But an explosion high in the air — 15 miles or more above the surface — could damage electrical grids nationwide for weeks, if not or longer.

Yeah, the key here is “nuclear blast.” The loss of electricity is the least of your worries. You are either dead or dying. Game over. Here is an older television movie he should watch. The Day After (1983).

Cue the survivalist delusions —

“Really, all we have to do is be prepared enough to hang on until outside help comes,” he told colleagues. But this kind of disaster, Farnsworth said, could be nationwide.

“In essence, there’s no help coming,” he said. “We need to be locally prepared for a long-term struggle.”

And Farnsworth said that means individual preparedness.

“As a society, we’ve become so dependent on the government and on our society the way it is,” he explained. “Going to the grocery store, there’s always food there.”

Ah, so this is just another opportunity for an “I hate guvmint” rant. So what does Mr. “constitutional” chickens propose to do about it?

Having the state prepare a list of what people should have in case of such an emergency, he said, would in essence be a wake-up call.

Follow his logic here: we’ve all become too dependent on the government, so the government needs to prepare a list of what people should have in case of an emergency (specifically a nuclear armageddon). Does this guy hear himself when he speaks?

Mr. “constitutional” chickens is not the only one who fears one day he will be living a sci-fi TV series.

Sen. Chester Crandell, R-Heber, said it isn’t simply a matter of individual survival.

“There’s a lot of different organizations we have in the state that actually work for the public safety,” he said, including agencies like the Department of Public Safety or even utilities that need to provide power for everything down to the plant that purifies and pumps water.

He said maybe state emergency officials need to be figuring out — and telling those state agencies and utilities — what they need to have on hand.

“If we’re looking at a nationwide, or at least a statewide catastrophic (situation), all the power goes out, trucks stop running, this whole thing, how are they going to then carry out their duties and responsibilities for public safety?” Crandell asked.

Your Tea-Publican Arizona legislature at work — detached from reality and living in a survivalist sci-fi fantasy world.

I do agree that the state should have a disaster preparedness plan for natural disasters, e.g., floods, fires, earthquakes, powerful storms, etc. But that is not what this bill is about. And these guys are climate science deniers as well, so preparing for natural disasters brought on by climate change is not on their to-do list.

2 responses to “Sen. David Farnsworth fears living a sci-fi TV series”

OMG tin foil hats are not strong enough for these 2 men. When do they expect the public to stock up? Now? Ten years from now? As soon as the nuke hits & just before we turn into ashes? We need an initiative re: prohibiting idiotic bills – the consequences: immediate loss of seat for stupidity & wasting public resources!

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